Visual Literacy Literature Review

The transition of today’s society, from print-based to visual media, is growing apparent as more technologies are being invented and adopted by the world. This literature review provides an in-depth view into why, as a result of the multimedia phenomenon, visual literacy education is important in equipping people with 21st century skills necessary to navigate the information and media-heavy world. Based on previous studies and reports, it will also explore the benefits of being visually literate, as well as methods that are being used to teach this essential skill to students. This paper asserts the importance of visual literacy in the modern world, and especially the critical role that visual literacy education plays in preparing students

Transformation of Visual Literacy in the Educational Field

“The new ‘pictorial turn’ means that images no longer exist primarily to entertain and illustrate. Rather they are becoming central to communication and meaning-making”. (Mitchell, 2002) This phrase highlights the transformation of picture-based literacy to media-based literacy. Media literacy encompasses not only print, but video and the Internet as medium of visual imagery as well. Due to the vastness of visual literacy in everyday life, educational materials are now required to immerse itself with visual content - from paper-based textbooks to online educational technology.

Teaching visual literacy in the classroom means many things from film, dance, and mime through the use of diagrams, maps and graphs to children 's picture books. Visual texts can be found in books, the internet, environmental signage, TV, tablet devices and touch-screen machines like ATMs. Students are taught to critically analyse the images presented to them through advertising and other media. It also entails equipping students with the tools to create presentations that effectively communicate content. Today teachers are using classroom blogs and wikis to keep their students up to date with class requirements and to encourage collaborative class discussions. More and more students are relying on technology to enhance their learning environments. As technology continues to advance, their availability and capability will create more tools

The reality of visual literacy is that it is considered, mostly, to be trivial in nature, or even to be nonacademic. Its presence is only appreciated and made important in fields of study relating to arts and media. Accordingly, it appears to be almost irrational that such a major force in the 21st century is mostly disregarded. How, in that sense, can higher education institutions remain relevant if they fail to educate its students about the type of literacy they use the most? (Bleed,